Mechatronics - Associate in Applied Science – T Degree

Mechatronics focuses on the convergence of mechanical, electrical and computer controls in complex systems and automation. It is a multidisciplinary approach combining mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, process control engineering, and software engineering into an integrated skill set for construction, repair, and optimization of complex industrial equipment. This makes it applicable to a wide range of growing industries including automation and robotics, advanced manufacturing, aerospace and transportation systems, process control, logistics and supply chain management, and agriculture. Modern life is filled with mechatronic systems: they clean the water you drink, manage the car you drive and are involved in the creation of nearly everything you see around you. Every industry employs some level of mechatronics.

Clover Park Technical College’s AAS-T Mechatronics degree provides the skills needed to succeed in this exciting field. The program begins with courses that establish a solid base of technical skills and an understanding of the various disciplines that make up mechatronics as well as lean manufacturing and quality standards. Courses are taught with an eye toward linking disciplines together for larger mechatronic systems. Subsequent courses then build expertise in the foundational skills while increasingly integrating all skills into the design, construction, optimization, maintenance, and repair of full mechatronics systems. Students who complete the Mechatronics AAS-T Degree will also have the option to further their education by enrolling in our BAS in Mechatronics Engineering Technology and Automation (BAS- META), which is the first Bachelor’s degree in mechatronics to be offered anywhere in the Pacific NW.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Mechatronics degree, students will be able to:

• Employ safe practices while using fluid power, electrical, mechanical and control equipment.
• Analyze the transmission of power between electrical, mechanical and fluid power.
• Use digital and analogue controls on mechanical, electrical, fluid power, and hybrid systems.
• Construct complex machinery involving multiple forms of power and control.
• Troubleshoot mechatronic systems, including the complex interplay between different power and control variables.
• Validate new and emerging power, control, and communication technologies.
• Prioritize efficiency and environmental sustainability in mechatronic systems and processes.
• Prioritize social benefit from the perspective of mechatronic systems.